Newly designated Mayon volcano crisis manager Presidential political affairs Secretary Francis Tolentino made an explosive expose revealing a done deal at the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Appearing as featured guest during our weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay breakfast forum, Tolentino revealed the Comelec renewed their contract with Venezuela-based Smartmatic Inc. to supply the vote counting machines (VCMs) for the coming mid-term elections in May 2019.
Tolentino shared with us his verified information about the Smartmatic contract renewal without the required public bidding for government contracts. He learned it was signed three weeks ago by “acting” Comelec chairman Robert Christian Lim whose seven-year term lapsed today along with fellow commissioner Arthur Lim.
The Comelec en banc has designated commissioner Al Parreño as the “acting” chairman of the seven-man poll body. President Rodrigo Duterte named Comelec commissioner Sherif Abas last Nov. 24 as the new Comelec chairman. Since Abas has yet to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments, Lim has been designated as “acting” chairman of the poll body until his term lapses today.
Refuting insinuations of a “midnight deal,” Lim justified yesterday the renewal of contract with Smartmatic as signed by the en banc decision of the poll body. He insisted it was done “above board” and that consultations were done with stakeholders before they approved and signed it.
In raising questions over Comelec’s renewal of the Smartmatic contract, Tolentino pointed out, his electoral protest against Senator Leila De Lima precisely revolved around the alleged electronic cheating by the Smartmatic servers that cost his Senate bid.
Tolentino placed 13th next to De Lima who supposedly won with a little over one million margin of votes to clinch the 12th and last spot at the Senate race during the May 2016 elections. Tolentino is contesting this before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET). Taking note De Lima did not file her own counter electoral protest at the SET, she effectively waived her right to contest the recount results Tolentino’s lawyers presented to the SET.
It will be too late in the day for the De Lima camp to file her counter protest with the lapse of the prescriptive period of one year after the elections to file, Tolentino pointed out. He disclosed his lawyers will ask the SET to subpoena former Comelec chairman Andres Bautista to appear as “hostile witness” to his election protest when the seven-man SET resumes hearing of his recount petition next week.
In the meantime, Tolentino is busy with his new assignment as the newly designated Mayon volcano crisis manager. He explained his major task is to bring together the Mayors and other local government officials along with national government agency representatives deployed around areas affected by Mt. Mayon explosions to ensure orderly and efficient coordination of relief and other disaster reduction measures.
After attending our Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Tolentino flew back to Albay, via Naga City. We ribbed Tolentino he might have gotten lost by the Palace Social Media Head Mocha Uson who earlier gaffed in pointing to Naga City as where Mayon is. Levity aside, Tolentino explained he has to go through Naga City by plane because direct flights to Legazpi City have been cancelled due to ashfalls from Mayon.
From Naga, it will take one hour and a half road travel going to Legazpi City where Tolentino has set up a command post at Camp Simeon Ola as the center overseeing the Mayon volcano crisis management operations.
President Duterte who flew to Legazpi City last Monday designated Tolentino as Mayon crisis manager to oversee the combined national and local government efforts to help ease the plight of more than 80,000 Mayon-affected residents of Albay. Accompanied by several Cabinet members, we asked Tolentino why did the President pick him out to head the Mayon volcano crisis.
Sharing with us a little unknown trivia of his life Tolentino revealed he is a Bicolano by birthplace. His mother gave birth to him a week before her due date. His parents were stranded in Guinobatan, Albay where a local barrio “hilot” attended to his mother’s giving birth to him. Tolentino, however, grew up at the bosom of another one of the world’s active volcanoes, Mt. Taal in Batangas, where he served for three consecutive terms as Mayor of Tagaytay City.
Tolentino finds himself strongly connected with these two most active volcanoes in the Philippines.
But as fate would have it, Tolentino returns to his birthplace to watch over Mayon’s continuing explosive episodes while Mt. Taal, thank God, remains peacefully quiet for now.
Baring another facet of his life, Tolentino gleefully revealed his first-ever movie appearance in a “romantic comedy” movie that will be shown soon at local theaters. “I am the romantic, not the comedy,” he guffawed at his own comedic moment. The soon-to-be shown movie, “Because I Love You,” is starred in by a GMA-7 talent by the name of Sheina Diaz.
He refused to further elaborate about his film debut, lest, he joked, the movie producer might edit him out of the scenes. A lawyer by profession, Tolentino is no stranger to the local movie industry. He once served during the Aquino administration as Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman where he spearheaded the annual Metro Manila Film Festival.
Tolentino’s cameo appearance will be shown at movie houses after Valentine’s Day which we told him coincides with this year’s Lenten observance of Ash Wednesday. “That’s the holy ash fall blessing,” Tolentino quipped with a wide grin.
Tolentino sighed with relief he already completed his first movie assignment long before President Duterte designated him as Mayon volcano crisis manager. He will have to do a lot of multi-tasking while he pursues his SET protest and work as political affairs secretary all at the same time.
Mayon’s explosive period could give Tolentino a lot of steam to keep up with the demands of this latest humanitarian relief nightmare.